As a girl in her early 20's, it may be difficult for people to understand why I enjoy metal music so much. It’s also hard to find other people like me who get a thrill out of intense breakdowns and the beat of a bass drum, but when I do find those people, it’s a different kind of connection. The only way that I can really describe it is that it’s like meeting a really cool alien from another planet.
"How can you even understand the words with all that obnoxious screaming?” my mom would ask? Or so would anyone really, for that matter.
Metal music brings people together. It’s a community of angsty, on-the-edge punks who don’t take crap from anyone. It’s great pump-up music at the gym, and it also gives me the confidence to say, “I’m gonna ace this test today,” as I walk into class. It also says, “Hey, don’t let that person ruin your day. Keep walking.”
Outsiders of the metal scene are so quick to shoot it down, and say all of the music is about hate and death. Maybe it was at one time, but in the year 2016, we live in such a progressive world. Some of my favorite metal songs have some of the most meaningful messages I’ve ever heard. Yes, even more so to me than Adele. These messages range from social justice issues to relationship advice. Once you get past the “obnoxious screaming,” it’s something anyone and everyone can relate to.
Aside from pure entertainment value, metal music is scientifically proven to stimulate the brain . In recent studies, researchers have found that listening to metal regulates sadness and enhances positive emotions. Listeners of the genre are more inclined to turn their negative feelings into feelings of love, happiness, and motivation in their own lives.
Maybe one day, Eastern will be a place where the spring concert is no longer your typical hip-hop artists like T-Pain or Tinashe performing, and instead we could have bands like Slayer and Slipknot. While my time here is limited, and I will soon no longer be able to share the love of metal with the rest of campus, I’m hoping that more people will be open to the thing that I rely so heavily on. The metal music scene matters to me, and you should give it a try, too.
